Peter Cross Profile Picture

Keynote SpeakerPeter Cross

Consumer expert, Retail Consultant, Change maker, Communicator, Speaker & Host

Eight years in charge of the customer experience at John Lewis and ten more as Mary Portas’ business partner, mean there are few who can match Peter Cross’s unique blend of consulting and practical experience and step so confidently into the future of shopping, helping brands and organisations remain irresistible... Read more

Biography

Eight years in charge of the customer experience at John Lewis and ten more as Mary Portas’ business partner, mean there are few who can match Peter Cross’s unique blend of consulting and practical experience and step so confidently into the future of shopping, helping brands and organisations remain irresistible to their target consumers.

Known for his charismatic, inspiring and straight talking style, Peter draws on his experience with some of the world’s most iconic brands and shares trusted techniques of deepening relationships with both consumers and employees through brand purpose and authentic human connection.

Peppering his presentations with tangible examples from across the commercial and third sectors, Peter Cross isn’t afraid to challenge current thinking, offering new perspectives around disruptive innovation, internal culture and remaining what Peter calls sticky.

In his time at John Lewis customers slept in shops, staff were sent to theatre school, the organisation’s customer service agenda, values and purpose were reset, a Christmas ad campaign became the global benchmark and Waitrose played a front line role in feeding the nation. During his time as a Consultant, charity shops were reinvented, a professional cosmetic line opened Institutes in multiple territories, a report for the Government predicted the future of the high street, one of the world’s biggest shopping malls opened during a global recession and some of the greatest luxury brands redefined the meaning of physical retail.

Peter Cross ensures his audiences leave with a clear sense of what the future of commerce might have in store, actionable insights and a passion and determination to stand out and play their part.

"Peter was an exceptional speaker at our internal away day for 100 colleagues. We were looking for an inspirational leader with a ton of experience, who could inspire the team, illustrate the messages with compelling stories and energise everybody for the day. Peter exceeded our expectations and we would love to have him back for a future event." Adrian Last, CMO, ITV Studios
"Peter is charismatic, intelligent and highly entertaining. Business needs more like him." Mary Portas
"I had the pleasure of working with Peter in January of 2021, for Post & Parcel Live. He moderated our session 'Creating the Perfect Consumer Experience' and couldn't have done a better job. Peter took the script and really made it his own, keeping the audience engaged throughout and had the speakers at ease with his warm and cheerful attitude. You can tell Peter would make an insightful and professional speaker also, so I would strongly recommend him for any conference or event. Thank you Peter!" Alyssia Smith, Conference Content Manager
“Peter took part in our inaugural Spring Fair @Home event as we pivoted to provide digital access to our events during the Covid-19 crisis. He was a highly valued speaker who was able to provide interesting, practical insight and advice to our audience. Peter was able to gain and hold the audience’s attention during the session and brought ideas to life through real-life case studies and easy-to-understand language. Our audience loved his delivery. Along with a highly impressive background to draw upon, Peter is capable of speaking to a range of individuals and tailoring his approach to the audience at hand. I would not hesitate to invite Peter again to speak to the Spring and Autumn Fair audiences.” Niamh Stone

Popular Talks by Peter Cross

  • Meet the consumer of the future
  • Customer service now
  • The human side of business
  • Magpies, merchants and astronauts (Eternal truths from a life in retail leadership)
  • The power of purpose
  • Building a culture of innovation - The power of a curious and inquiring mind